My top five bucket list motorcycle rides for now

[LTD]

1= Pacific coast hwy. California.  2=Death Valley National Park California, 3= Hwy 50 Nevada loneliest highway in America.,4=Miami to Key West Fla. 5= The coast of Maine.

[LTD]

Adding the Tunnel of Trees Michigan

[DirtyDan]

5 (first) out of 6

Dan

[LTD]

You busted me Dan I never was a genius lol

[Willow]

I've done 3 of 6.  I've driven Miami to Key West.  It didn't seem to be a particularly inviting motorcycle route.

The other two look to be worth doing.

[John Schmidt]

I've done 4 & 5, the Keys by car and agree with Willow re. the Keys. The New Hampshire/Maine coast both by car and bike. Beautiful rides.

[RP#62]

I've done the keys by car, but I've actually driven more from Key West to Miami than the other way around (I got my driver's license in Key West).

-RP

[DirtyDan]

You busted me Dan I never was a genius lol

 

Dan

[Jess from VA]

My bucket list ride.

Riding in any beautiful mountain location anywhere (with good roads)..... and all the cars, trucks, deer and cops stay home.  Wouldn't that be something? 

[cookiedough]

My bucket list ride.

Riding in any beautiful mountain location anywhere (with good roads)..... and all the cars, trucks, deer and cops stay home.  Wouldn't that be something? 

do NOT forgot NO rain or NO snow which in WI is near 1/2 the entire year's worth....

really does not pay to have a cycle (not really....) if only able to drive it 6 months of the year.  Same can be said for a snowmobile even in WI, mostly southern WI, is at most 5-6 weeks of taking it out in the snow, unlike northern WI (upper UP, etc.) that has seen well over 15 inches of snow the past week or so vs. us just a dusting no snow yet really that sticks around.  Not complaining on NO snow to drive in or shovel, but this freezing rain crap sucks even worse.

[Black Pearl's Captain]

Key West ride is still a valid "want to" ride. It's just slow and you'll have lots of fellow travelers. I just came back from KW yesterday. Start from Naples and ride the Tamiami trail rather than from Miami would be a better scenic ride. You'll see gators sunning themselves for 60 miles along the road's canal. If you have plenty of time the Loop road off the Tamiami is around 35 miles with some packed gravel that often has gators right up on the road as well as hundreds in the water 2 feet from the road edge.

I've been to all your first post items. For your Maine trip ride down to Beal's island (187)  then back up hop over and hit the road from Cutler (191) to the Quoddy Head light house. Acadia park is a scenic ride with LOTS of friendly New Yorkers and Bostonites to help clog up the road.

[..]

If you haven't ridden it I'd add the Blue Ridge Parkway. 476 miles with no stop signs or lights. Then turn around and ride it the other way.

https://www.ncnatural.com/Parkway/MilebyMile.html

Going to the Sun Rd.

https://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/goingtothesunroad.htm

Ice Fields Parkway in Canada.

[scooperhsd]

Bad thing on the Chesapeake is that $25 toll each way. There are places to get off the road and look around - it's pretty impressive to see a ship pass through.

[F6Dave]

I've driven the PCH/Hwy 1 from Pismo Beach to Fort Bragg, and ridden it from S.F. to where it ends and US 101 takes over in Northern Cal.  From there I rode 101 through Oregon and Washington to Port Angeles, where I took a ferry to Victoria BC and rode Vancouver Island.  The entire route is a great ride.  However, less populated sections are more fun, like the Central Coast (Morro Bay through Big Sur) and north of Bodega Bay or so.  101 through Oregon is definitely worthwhile as long as you're there.

Last September I rode from Colorado to Georgia, and on the way back stumbled on to the 'Pig Trail' in Arkansas.  I'd seen it on top 10 lists and wasn't disappointed.  Climbing from 300 to nearly 2,000 feet gave me a break from the heat and the views and curves were great.

I rode the coast of Maine as far as Bar Harbor and Acadia NP.  Much of the coast isn't accessible, and when it is the Atlantic's coastline and puny waves aren't as spectacular as you'll see on the PCH.  It was in September with great weather and nice fall colors.  Definitely a nice ride, but it's not an easy place to get to from my part of the country.

Here in Colorado you often hear about US 550, the 'Million Dollar Highway'.  It's spectacular, but traffic in the summer can be bumper to bumper in places.  There are other beautiful rides with far less traffic.  One few talk about is CO 65 over the Grand Mesa.

Two years ago I had the most spectacular ride of my life.  On a trip through Montana, I stopped by Inzane in Billings for two nights.  Early in the morning I rode through Red Lodge and over Beartooth pass.  In 50 years and nearly 700,000 miles of riding, this was as good as I've experienced.  The light traffic makes it even more enjoyable.  And another bonus is the speed limits:  70 MPH on the MT side and 65 on the WY side.  It would be difficult or impossible to ride that fast in many stretches, but it's nice to be able to travel at a comfortable pace without worrying about the speed limits.  Here in Colorado roads like this would be posted at 35 or 45 MPH.

Beartooth Pass - Wyoming Side:



Beartooth Pass - Montana Side:



CO 65 over Grand Mesa:

[..]

Thanks for the Beartooth Pass photos. I rode it in cloud cover.   

[cookiedough]

I gotta get out more, only one capable to do is the tunnel of trees in MI, but Maine, Nevada, California, Florida is probably out riding cycle there in my lifetime...

Looks like out west is where to be.  My bucket list to do hopefully in next 10 years is Colorado/Utah even if is in a cage.  Had plans 5 years ago to do it with the family before off to college and daughter did a senior year high school FCCLA speaking contest event in Washington DC.  I would pick Colorado/Utah over DC any time unless into history, but am sure Colorado/Utah has better scenery by far than downtown DC by the Capital.

[F6Dave]

Thanks for the Beartooth Pass photos. I rode it in cloud cover.   

At least it wasn't snowing!  Several riders from the Billings Inzane ran into a half foot of snow on Beartooth.

[F6Dave]

I gotta get out more, only one capable to do is the tunnel of trees in MI, but Maine, Nevada, California, Florida is probably out riding cycle there in my lifetime...

Looks like out west is where to be.  My bucket list to do hopefully in next 10 years is Colorado/Utah even if is in a cage.  Had plans 5 years ago to do it with the family before off to college and daughter did a senior year high school FCCLA speaking contest event in Washington DC.  I would pick Colorado/Utah over DC any time unless into history, but am sure Colorado/Utah has better scenery by far than downtown DC by the Capital.

Utah is awesome, and not as crowded as Colorado (except around SLC).  Here's my favorite shot from Arches NP.

[cookiedough]

Nice Utah pic.   Gee, would one like to see that pic in Utah or a govt. building in DC?   

We did about 10 years ago take our longest vacation ever to South Dakota and was like a whole other world to me loved it especially the Badlands.  Am sure there are 100's more places like this in the great United States to see.

[LTD]

f6Dave have to agree with you Bear Tooth Pass was also my greatest ride too. And Billings was probably my favorite Inzane because of all of that great riding.

[sheets]

Cali Hwy PCH 01 is near my front yard. Have done the piece north of San Francisco a number of times. Had planned to do the piece south of Monterey to Morro Bay a few years ago but a large slide closed the road for over a year. That and an emergency bridge replacement at Big Sur got in the way of my plans.

Did Hwy 50 a few years ago. East and West on a round-trip ride to Colorado and back. Spent a day riding Moab on the way back. Was October of the year. Ran with a few rain squalls through the desert. The rain made the sage brush very aromatic. Miles and miles of next to nothing for hours at a time. Get your card stamped at the few cafes and gas stations along the way. Send it off to the Nevada Chamber of Commerce for a commemorative shingle suitable for framing and a  decorative Pin to add to your jacket or vest (if you collect those things). 

Have done the west coast section from a trip to Vancouver. Headed for the coast at Olympia, Washington, over to the coast and south to and through Oregon and my home stomping grounds.   

[Bighead]

1= Pacific coast hwy. California.  2=Death Valley National Park California, 3= Hwy 50 Nevada loneliest highway in America.,4=Miami to Key West Fla. 5= The coast of Maine.

All checked off my list
Also while you are at it,
If you do the Maine coast. Ride up and around Nova Scotia.  A trip well worth making.

[phideux]

When we went to Romania last year I met a guy who did as much of an "around the world" ride as you can do. He and some of his friends started in Portugal, went through Europe, Eastern Europe, went into the southern end of Russia so they could hit Kazakhstan, into North China, Mongolia, back into Russia, up to the Bering Strait, there they boated the bikes over to Alaska, went through Alaska, into Canada, Down to the US, across the Middle of the US into Maine, back up to Canada and ended the ride on the coast of Newfoundland. I don't remember how many miles he said it was, but they did it in a little under 8 weeks.
That is the ride on my bucket list.

[..]

When we went to Romania last year I met a guy who did as much of an "around the world" ride as you can do. He and some of his friends started in Portugal, went through Europe, Eastern Europe, went into the southern end of Russia so they could hit Kazakhstan, into North China, Mongolia, back into Russia, up to the Bering Strait, there they boated the bikes over to Alaska, went through Alaska, into Canada, Down to the US, across the Middle of the US into Maine, back up to Canada and ended the ride on the coast of Newfoundland. I don't remember how many miles he said it was, but they did it in a little under 8 weeks.
That is the ride on my bucket list.

8 weeks!

Sounds like a ride from hell in that short amount of time.

[woofred1832]

          2 years ago I rode to Glacier National Park, going across North Dakota and Montana on Hwy 2. great ride very few cars in fact saw more bikers than cars, then went south into Colorado on some roads I remembered from when I lived there. love your list Tail of the dragon is another great ride short but neat

[LTD]

Great pictures Sheets of hwy 50 in Nevada wish I was riding there tomorrow.

[turtle254]

Devil’s Hiway–US191: Arizona -- National Scenic Byway, the Coronado Trail

[Savago]

My top list:
1) CA-36 a.k.a. Serpent to the Sea: highly technical road, 140 miles of twists and 1811 curves. The fabled Tail of the dragon (318 in 11 miles) pales in comparison. The views are nice, but it is all about a long and challenging road through the mountains heading to the Pacific.

2) Going to the Sun at the Glacier NP: beautiful views, a bit busy though.

3) The high passes in Sierra Nevada: Carlson, Ebbets, Monitor, Sonora. It is relatively easy to ride at least 3 of those passes in a single day (and all 4 if you push yourself a bit).

4) Bear Tooth pass at Yellowstone NP: beautiful views, not busy when I rode it, weather is totally unpredictable.

5) CA-01 a.k.a. The Pacific Route. I rode it both North -> South (SF to Santa Barbara, through the Big Sur) as also South -> North (SF all the way to Oregon).

6) Yosemite NP and Tioga Pass: start riding through the CA-120, visiting the Yosemite Valley and next heading to Mammoth Lakes through the Tioga Pass (with a quick stop at the Mono Lake).

7) The Avenue of Giants at Redwoods NP: everyone deserves to see the giant Reedwoods. The road is pretty scenic, better for a relaxed pace ride.

The ones I didn't ride yet (but planning one day to ride):
8 ) Denali National Park@AK.

9) The Dalton highway@AK.

10)  A million dollars hwy@Colorado.

[Big Rig]

My bucket list ride.

Riding in any beautiful mountain location anywhere (with good roads)..... and all the cars, trucks, deer and cops stay home.  Wouldn't that be something? 

You need to get to out to Sturgis the week before bike week..roads are in great shape and wide open....

imho

[Beardo]

My top list:
1) CA-36 a.k.a. Serpent to the Sea: highly technical road, 140 miles of twists and 1811 curves. The fabled Tail of the dragon (318 in 11 miles) pales in comparison. The views are nice, but it is all about a long and challenging road through the mountains heading to the Pacific.

2) Going to the Sun at the Glacier NP: beautiful views, a bit busy though.

3) The high passes in Sierra Nevada: Carlson, Ebbets, Monitor, Sonora. It is relatively easy to ride at least 3 of those passes in a single day (and all 4 if you push yourself a bit).

4) Bear Tooth pass at Yellowstone NP: beautiful views, not busy when I rode it, weather is totally unpredictable.

5) CA-01 a.k.a. The Pacific Route. I rode it both North -> South (SF to Santa Barbara, through the Big Sur) as also South -> North (SF all the way to Oregon).

6) Yosemite NP and Tioga Pass: start riding through the CA-120, visiting the Yosemite Valley and next heading to Mammoth Lakes through the Tioga Pass (with a quick stop at the Mono Lake).

7) The Avenue of Giants at Redwoods NP: everyone deserves to see the giant Reedwoods. The road is pretty scenic, better for a relaxed pace ride.

The ones I didn't ride yet (but planning one day to ride):
8 ) Denali National Park@AK.

9) The Dalton highway@AK.

10)  A million dollars hwy@Colorado.

Great list.  I’ve been lucky enough to check off most of them. 

Would maybe add Washington 129 -The Rattlesnake - to it.

Quite a few lesser known ones in BC with very little traffic and spectacular curves. The fact that they’re lesser known with so little traffic is part of what makes them great.

[The emperor has no clothes]

The ones I didn't ride yet (but planning one day to ride):
8 ) Denali National Park@AK.

Your chances on this are pretty slim. There are only 3 days in the middle of September when private vehicles are allowed. And they are given out by a lottery permit. You have to apply in the spring for the chance. I'm not sure it would be wise on a Valkyrie to begin with. It's a gravel road, and that time of year is pretty wet. The road is narrow and slippery when wet.


(The Dalton Hiway is highly overrated)

[The emperor has no clothes]

My top list:
1) CA-36 a.k.a. Serpent to the Sea: highly technical road, 140 miles of twists and 1811 curves. The fabled Tail of the dragon (318 in 11 miles) pales in comparison. The views are nice, but it is all about a long and challenging road through the mountains heading to the Pacific.

2) Going to the Sun at the Glacier NP: beautiful views, a bit busy though.

3) The high passes in Sierra Nevada: Carlson, Ebbets, Monitor, Sonora. It is relatively easy to ride at least 3 of those passes in a single day (and all 4 if you push yourself a bit).

4) Bear Tooth pass at Yellowstone NP: beautiful views, not busy when I rode it, weather is totally unpredictable.

5) CA-01 a.k.a. The Pacific Route. I rode it both North -> South (SF to Santa Barbara, through the Big Sur) as also South -> North (SF all the way to Oregon).

6) Yosemite NP and Tioga Pass: start riding through the CA-120, visiting the Yosemite Valley and next heading to Mammoth Lakes through the Tioga Pass (with a quick stop at the Mono Lake).

7) The Avenue of Giants at Redwoods NP: everyone deserves to see the giant Reedwoods. The road is pretty scenic, better for a relaxed pace ride.

The ones I didn't ride yet (but planning one day to ride):
8 ) Denali National Park@AK.

9) The Dalton highway@AK.

10)  A million dollars hwy@Colorado.

Great list.  I’ve been lucky enough to check off most of them. 

Would maybe add Washington 129 -The Rattlesnake - to it.

Quite a few lesser known ones in BC with very little traffic and spectacular curves. The fact that they’re lesser known with so little traffic is part of what makes them great.

I've always wanted to do the Cassiar Hiway on a bike. It's pretty good even in a car.

[sheets]

My top list:
1) CA-36 a.k.a. Serpent to the Sea: highly technical road, 140 miles of twists and 1811 curves. The fabled Tail of the dragon (318 in 11 miles) pales in comparison. The views are nice, but it is all about a long and challenging road through the mountains heading to the Pacific.

2) Going to the Sun at the Glacier NP: beautiful views, a bit busy though.

3) The high passes in Sierra Nevada: Carlson, Ebbets, Monitor, Sonora. It is relatively easy to ride at least 3 of those passes in a single day (and all 4 if you push yourself a bit).

4) Bear Tooth pass at Yellowstone NP: beautiful views, not busy when I rode it, weather is totally unpredictable.

5) CA-01 a.k.a. The Pacific Route. I rode it both North -> South (SF to Santa Barbara, through the Big Sur) as also South -> North (SF all the way to Oregon).

6) Yosemite NP and Tioga Pass: start riding through the CA-120, visiting the Yosemite Valley and next heading to Mammoth Lakes through the Tioga Pass (with a quick stop at the Mono Lake).

7) The Avenue of Giants at Redwoods NP: everyone deserves to see the giant Reedwoods. The road is pretty scenic, better for a relaxed pace ride.

The ones I didn't ride yet (but planning one day to ride):
8 ) Denali National Park@AK.

9) The Dalton highway@AK.

10)  A million dollars hwy@Colorado.

#'s 1 - 3 (Ebbets to Rte 89) - 5 - 6 (Rte 140 & 120) - 7 . . . check.

Rte 3 & 96 are worth the trip. As are Rte 49 & 70.

All the roads in rural NorCal are a great ride.